WATCH: Contreras becomes first Cubs catcher to homer in All-Star Game |
WASHINGTON, DC — The two Chicago Cubs to start for the National League in the 2018 All-Star Game made their presences felt early on, as second baseman
Javier Baez and
Willson Contreras each tallied a hit on the first pitch thrown in their first at-bats.
After Baez led off the bottom of the second with a single to center field, Contreras stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third and put the National League on the scoreboard with a solo home run. With the dinger, Contreras became just the fourth Cub in the past 50 years to homer in the All-Star Game, as well as the first Cubs catcher and the sixth Venezuelan player to ever do so. Taking the first pitch thrown to him by Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell deep for a lined homer over the wall in left-field, Contreras smacked a 364-foot shot that left the bat at 109 miles per hour and sported a 21-degree launch angle. Making the score 2-1, the bomb by Contreras marked the third solo home run of the game. All-Star, @WContreras40. pic.twitter.com/NGaFi4J2Ze
